Tuesday, May 29, 2007
International Food Day
I am doing my junior field experience in a 7th grade world geography class and this Friday we are having International Food Day. I think this is a great way for students to share their cultures and traditions with their classmates. The students are asked to bring in a food dish that is part of their culture. They are also asked to tell why they chose this dish, whether it is a holiday tradition or just one of their favorite foods. They are also told that they should have a hand in preparing the food so it gets them involved in creating a food dish that is part of their background. This can be a great activity with ELL students because it allows them to bring part of their own country with them to school and they are able to share their culture with the other students. This activity can also give ELL students a chance to see that many other children in their class have backgrounds from other countries as well.
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3 comments:
I agree with you, Christine. I think that is one of the best ways to introduce children to different cultures. I also feel that it should be introduced to children as young as pre-school. When I worked in a pre-k classroom, located in Westfield the class was very diverse. We had Chinese, Brazilian, Indian, French, Philippine, Etc. One of the parents did a whole presentation to the class on Brazil. She brought in colorful clothing, dolls from her country, made a poster of the country, brought food in, and Brazilian candy. The kids loved it. They learned about the language, tradition and the culture. Even though the kids were only 4 years old, they found it interesting and it gave them something to talk about. I of course loved the food!!! HAHA
I totally agree with you Christine, it is a great idea to get students involved in various ways to learn about other cultures. Last semester, I encountered my Junior Field Experience at Rahway High School and they had a Multicultural Week. Throughout this week, the teachers would assign certain students to bring a food in from their culture and explain it to the class, as well as many other events going on throughout the school. I felt that this was an excellent idea not only because students got to learn and interact with students from other cultures, but the students were not bombarded with all the students talking about their culture on one day, it was spread out throughout the entire week. Also, during this week the teachers would have several different activities in the classroom that the students would participate in to help them better learn about other cultures. In conclusion, I feel that it is a very good idea to have culture day or culture week in the school systems because the students really enjoy it and they start to feel more comfortable with the students around them, which helps them perform at a faster rate.
Food is always a safe way to bring culture into the classroom. Each and every family has their own way of preparing food. This gives not only ELL students a chance to learn other cultures but other students a chance to expand their horizons!! I know when i was a student in grammar school, I loved this day. This was one day that I was excited to be who I was. My school had every topic and every subject related to different cultures. They even went beyond and made recess a way of showing everyone, what their cultures do. Another area that is some times forgotten is what the children learn at home. By asking questions about their heritage and culture, they begin to understand why they do certain rituals and such. This is a great way to bring the families together at home and to bring the parents into the classroom.
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